Rear view mirror for a vehicle

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of a mirror assembly for a vehicle includes a first mirror attached externally to the vehicle for providing a side rear view along a side of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle, and a second mirror attached internally to the vehicle to a roof-supporting column of the vehicle for providing a blind spot view to the driver, with the first and second mirrors being separately adjustable. Another embodiment includes a third mirror attached externally to the vehicle for providing a side rear view along another side of the vehicle to the driver of the vehicle, and a fourth mirror attached internally to the vehicle to another roof-supporting column of the vehicle for providing a blind spot view to the driver, with the third and fourth mirrors being separately adjustable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to rear view mirrors for vehicles. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a side rear view mirrorarrangement for eliminating a blind spot associated with side rear viewmirrors.

2. Description of the Related Art

Side rear view mirrors have been installed on vehicles for safelyoperating a vehicle because a side rear view mirror allows a driver todetermine, for example, whether an adjacent lane is clear to the sideand rear of the vehicle before making a lane change. However, side rearview mirrors inherently have a blind spot. Accordingly, there have beena number of attempts at eliminating the blind spot by improving siderear view mirrors.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,147 to Griffith discloses a rear viewmirror arrangement for a vehicle which includes an external rear viewmirror mounted to the vehicle with an outside arm and an interior mirrormounted to the interior of the vehicle with an inside arm. The outsideand inside arms are connected together and clamped to a door frame ofthe vehicle. The two mirrors can be adjusted independently of eachother. Nevertheless, the entire assembly requires that a driver takecare to avoid the internal mirror when the door is opened.

Another example of an improved side rear view mirror is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,025,173 to Schmeadeke. The Schmeadeke mirror arrangementincludes two side rear view mirrors externally mounted to a vehicle andarranged one above the other on a shaft of a mounting bracket. The uppermirror is rotatably mounted on the shaft for allowing the mirror to beadjusted around the shaft. The lower mirror is non-rotatably mounted onthe shaft providing simultaneous rotation of the two mirrors when thelower mirror is rotated. A similar side rear view mirror, disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,940,320 to Tribble, includes a pair of independentlyadjustable mirrors externally mounted on a frame which is adjustablysecured to a vehicle.

Yet another example of an improved side rear view mirror is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,439,013 to Hagn et al. The Hagn et al. mirrorarrangement includes an external side rear view mirror mounted to abracket located a corner of a door window of a vehicle and asupplementary mirror disposed on the inside of the side door oppositethe external rear view mirror. The supplementary mirror is mountedwithin a housing configured as an air outlet device for an air deliverypassage of the vehicle ventilating system so that fogging of the sidewindow pane is prevented or rapidly removed.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,689 to Schiff discloses an adjustable side-mountedrear-view mirror having two component mirrors. The two mirrors areattached to a vehicle so that one mirror is external to the vehicle,while the second mirror is mounted internally to the vehicle. A mountingdevice rigidly joins the two mirrors so that their reflective surfaceslie in a common plane and are adjustable together as a single unit aboutthe common vertical and horizontal axes of the two mirrors. The mountingdevice can be attached to a forward roof-supporting post of the vehicle,but is preferably mounted to a window corner bracket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention achieves safer conditions for operating a vehicleby providing a mirror assembly for a vehicle which includes a firstmirror attached externally to the vehicle for providing a side rear viewalong a side of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle, and a secondmirror attached internally to the vehicle to a roof-supporting column ofthe vehicle for providing a blind spot view to the driver, with thefirst and second mirrors being separately adjustable. The first andsecond mirrors are also adjustable along the roof-supporting column.Preferably, the first and second mirrors are disposed with respect toeach other so that a reflected image of the first mirror and a reflectedimage of the second mirror appear to the driver to have substantially nogap between the respective reflected images of the first and secondmirrors. The second mirror has a housing which is integrally formed tothe roof-supporting column. At least one of the first and second mirrorscan include a plurality of partially reflecting mirrors or be convexmirrors for increasing the overall field-of-view provided by the mirrorassembly. With the present invention, a driver can see a side rear viewof the vehicle in addition to having a view of the blind spot.

By using the present invention, a driver is able to quickly and safelydetermine whether an adjacent lane is clear to the side and rear of thevehicle before making a lane change because configuration of the firstand second mirrors provides a wider and, consequently, a safer field ofview. Since the present invention provides more visibility to thedriver, the driver has more time to respond to or avoid a hazardoustraffic situation. The present invention also allows a driver to spendmore time facing the on-coming road by requiring less head turning whenchecking a blindspot.

The mirror arrangement according to the present invention also includesa control system coupled to the first and second mirrors for adjustingthe first and second mirrors separately or in unison by remote control.The control system can include a memory for storing a plurality ofpreset positions of the first and second mirrors.

Another configuration of the present invention includes a third mirrorattached externally to the vehicle for providing a side rear view alonganother side of the vehicle to the driver of the vehicle, and a fourthmirror attached internally to the vehicle to a second roof-supportingcolumn of the vehicle for providing a blind spot view to the driver,with the third and fourth mirrors being separately adjustable.Preferably, the third and fourth mirrors are disposed with respect toeach other so that a reflected image of the third mirror and a reflectedimage of the fourth mirror appear to the driver to have substantially nogap between the respective reflected images of the third and fourthmirrors. The fourth mirror has a housing which is integrally formed withthe second roof-supporting column

When the mirror arrangement according to the present invention includesthird and fourth mirrors, the control system is capable of adjusting allfour mirrors separately or in unison by remote control and includes amemory for storing a plurality of preset positions of the four mirrors.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a mirrorassembly for a vehicle including a first mirror attached internally tothe vehicle to a roof-supporting column of the view for providing a siderear view along a side of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle, and asecond mirror attached internally to the vehicle to the roof-supportingcolumn of the vehicle for providing a blind spot view to the driver,such that the first and second mirrors are positioned on theroof-supporting column one above the other, and the first and secondmirrors are separately adjustable. In one version of this embodiment,the first and second mirrors are disposed with respect to each other sothat a reflected image of the first mirror and a reflected image of thesecond mirror appear to the driver to have substantially no gap betweenthe respective reflected images of the first and second mirrors. Thisembodiment can include a third mirror positioned on the roof-supportingcolumn above the first and second mirror. A control system coupled tothe first and second mirrors is used for adjusting the first and secondmirrors by remote control.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various objects and features of the present invention, together withother advantages and benefits which may be attained by its use, willbecome more apparent in view of the following detailed description ofthe invention taken in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings,wherein like reference numerals identify corresponding portions of thevarious embodiments of the display system according to the presentinvention:

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a side rearview mirror arrangement according to the present invention for a vehiclehaving a door without an window frame.

FIG. 1B is a top view of the first embodiment of a side view mirroraccording to the present invention taken along line 1—1 in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of another version of the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A shows a top view of the field-of-view attained for a vehicleequipped with side view mirrors according to the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows a mirror assembly having a plurality of partiallyreflecting mirrors and one fully reflecting mirror for increasing theoverall field-of-view covered by the mirror assembly and which can beused for any of mirrors of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system forautomatically positioning the mirrors of the present inventionseparately or in unison by remote control.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system having amemory for automatically adjusting the mirrors of the present inventionseparately or in unison by remote control.

FIG. 5A shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a side rearview mirror arrangement according to the present invention for a vehiclehaving a side mirror mounted to a door with a cantilever arm.

FIG. 5B is a top view of the second embodiment of a side view mirroraccording to the present invention taken along line 5—5 in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of a side rearview mirror arrangement according to the present invention for a vehiclehaving an exterior side mirror mounted to an exterior portion of aroof-supporting column.

FIG. 6B is a top view of the third embodiment of a side view mirroraccording to the present invention taken along line 6—6 in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration of the third embodiment of a side viewmirror according to the present invention in which the mirrors are onthe same horizontal line as a center rear view mirror.

FIG. 8 shows a fourth embodiment of a left side rear view mirrorarrangement according to the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a fifth embodiment of a left side rear view mirrorarrangement according to the present invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a sixth embodiment of a left side rear viewmirror arrangement according to the present invention.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a seventh embodiment of a left side rear viewmirror arrangement according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system for use withthe fifth, sixth or seventh embodiments of the present invention forautomatically positioning the mirrors separately or in unison by remotecontrol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show perspective and top views, respectively, of a firstembodiment of a driver's side rear view mirror arrangement 10 accordingto the present invention. This embodiment is particularly suited for avehicle having a door without an window frame, however, the generalconfiguration of the first embodiment is not changed for a vehiclehaving a door with a window frame.

Mirror arrangement 10 includes a first mirror 11 attached externally tothe left side of the vehicle and a second internal mirror 12 mounted tothe left roof-supporting column 15 of the vehicle. External mirror 11 isadjustably mounted within an exterior mirror housing 13 which isattached to a window corner bracket 17 of door 16 of the vehicle.Internal mirror 12 is adjustably mounted within mirror housing 14 whichis integrally formed with roof-supporting column 15.

As shown in FIG. 1A, mirrors 11 and 12 are preferably disposed withrespect to each other so the reflected images of the mirrors appear tohave no gap between the respective reflected images. Of course, mirrors11 and 12 can be disposed with respect to each other so that therespective reflected images appear to the driver to be separated by agap. Each mirror is separately adjustable around horizontal and verticaladjustment axes for eliminating a blind spot on the driver's side of thevehicle which is normally associated with conventional side-view vehiclemirrors. FIG. 1C shows another version of the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

A second similar mirror arrangement of mirrors 18 and 19, shown in FIG.2A, can be mounted on the right side of the vehicle for eliminating ablind spot on the passenger side of the vehicle. FIG. 2A also shows theoverall field-of-view 20 covered by mirrors 11, 12, 18 and 19. FIG. 2Bshows a mirror assembly 24 having a plurality of partially reflectingmirrors 21 and one fully reflecting mirror 22 for increasing thefield-of-view 23 covered by the mirror assembly. Mirror assembly 24 canbe used for any of the individual mirrors 11, 12, 18 and 19. Theindividual mirrors of the present invention can also be convex mirrors(FIG. 3) for further increasing the field-of-view covered by the mirrorassembly.

With the mirror arrangement of the present invention, a driver is ableto quickly and safely determine whether an adjacent lane is clear to theside and rear of the vehicle before making a lane change because thepresent invention provides a simultaneous view of both the rear sideview of the vehicle and the associated blind spot. By providing a widerand safer field-of-view, the present invention permits a driver's eyesto be directed toward the on-coming road a greater amount of timebecause less head movement is necessary for checking a blind spot.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system 30 forautomatically positioning the mirrors of the present inventionseparately or in unison by remote control. Control system 30 includes acontroller 31 connected to motor drivers 32-39. Each motor driver 32-39is connected to an electric motor 42-49, respectively. On the left sideof the vehicle, motors 42 and 43 are arranged in a known manner foradjusting exterior mirror 11 around horizontal and vertical adjustmentaxes, respectively, associated with mirror 11. Similarly, motors 44 and45 are arranged in a known manner for adjusting interior mirror 12around horizontal and vertical adjustment axes, respectively, associatedwith mirror 12. On the right side of the vehicle, motors 46 and 47 arearranged in a known manner for adjusting exterior mirror 18 aroundhorizontal and vertical adjustment axes, respectively, associated withmirror 18. Likewise, motors 48 and 49 are arranged in a known manner foradjusting interior mirror 19 around horizontal and vertical adjustmentaxes, respectively, associated with mirror 19.

Selection switch 40 is operatively connected to controller 31 forselecting one or several of mirrors 11, 12, 18 and 19 for adjustment.For example, one position of switch 40 can select mirror 11 foradjustment, while another position can select mirrors 11 and 12 foradjustment in unison. Still another position of switch 40 can selectmirrors 18 and 19 for adjustment in unison and another position canselect all the mirrors for adjustment together in unison. Otherwell-known arrangements of switches can be used for switch 40 forselecting one or a plurality of the mirrors for adjustment.

Switches 41 are operatively connected in a known manner to controller 31for adjusting the mirror or mirrors selected by selection switch 40.Adjustment signals output from switches 41 are converted by controller31 either digitally or using analog techniques into drive controlsignals for output to the motor drivers associated with the mirror ormirrors selected by selection switch 40. The motor drivers 32-39 convertthe drive control signals output from controller 31 into motor drivesignals having an appropriate level for driving the respective motors42-49. Other well-known techniques for operatively driving motors 42-49can also be used.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system 50 forautomatically adjusting the mirrors of the present invention by remotecontrol which includes a memory for storing a plurality of preset mirrorpositions. Control system 50 differs from control system 30 by utilizinga microprocessor 51, a memory 52 and a selection switch 53 having aprogramming button 54. In a program mode of control system 50, forexample, the mirrors can be adjusted to a desired setting, given asetting selection number by selection switch 53 and programmed intomemory 52 by actuating program switch 54. Of course, other well-knowntechniques also can be used for programming mirror settings into memory52. In a normal mode of control system 50, when it is desired to adjustthe mirrors to a particular mirror setting previously stored in memory52, selection switch 53 is actuated to select the desired mirrorsetting. Microprocessor 51 responds by retrieving the selected mirrorsetting from memory 52 and outputting appropriate drive control signalsto motor drivers for adjusting the mirrors. Thus, control system 50allows for a plurality of mirror settings to be automatically set for anumber of different drivers of the vehicle or driving situations.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show perspective and top views, respectively, of asecond embodiment of a left-side rear view mirror arrangement 60according to the present invention for a vehicle having an external sidemirror mounted to a door with a cantilever arm. Mirror arrangement 60includes exterior mirror 11 attached to the door on the left side of avehicle and a second internal mirror 12 mounted to the leftroof-supporting column 15 of the vehicle. External mirror 11 isadjustably mounted within an exterior mirror housing 13 which isattached to the door 16 of the vehicle with cantilever arm 61. Internalmirror 12 is adjustably mounted within mirror housing 14 which isintegrally formed with roof-supporting column 15.

As shown in FIG. 5A, mirrors 11 and 12 of the second embodiment arepreferably disposed with respect to each other so reflected images ofthe mirrors appear to a driver to have no gap between the respectivereflected images. Mirrors 11 and 12 can also be disposed with respect toeach other so that the respective reflected images appear to the driverto be separated by a gap. As with the first embodiment, each mirror ofthe second embodiment is separately adjustable around horizontal andvertical adjustment axes associated with each of the mirrors foreliminating a blind spot on the driver's side of the vehicle normallywhich is associated with conventional side-view vehicle mirrors.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show perspective and top views, respectively, of a thirdembodiment of a left-side rear view mirror arrangement 80 according tothe present invention. The third embodiment is particularly suited for avehicle having an exterior side mirror mounted to an exterior portion ofa roof-supporting column. As with the first and second embodiments,mirror arrangement 70 includes an exterior mirror 11 attached to anexterior portion of a roof-supporting column and a second internalmirror 12 mounted to the roof-supporting column 15 of the vehicle.External mirror 11 is adjustably mounted within an exterior mirrorhousing 13 which is attached to roof-supporting column 15 by cantileverarm 71. Cantilever member 71 has sufficient length and orientation sothat exterior mirror 11 does not interfere with the window of door 16when the door is open. Internal mirror 12 is adjustably mounted withinmirror housing 14 which is integrally formed with roof-supporting column15.

FIG. 6B shows that mirrors 11 and 12 of the third embodiment arepreferably disposed with respect to each other the reflected images ofthe mirrors appear to a driver to have no gap between the respectivereflected images. Mirrors 11 and 12 can also be disposed with respect toeach other so that the respective reflected images appear to the driverto be separated by a gap. Each mirror of the second embodiment isseparately adjustable around horizontal and vertical adjustment axesassociated with each of the mirrors for eliminating a blind spot on thedriver's side of the vehicle normally which is associated withconventional side-view vehicle mirrors.

FIG. 7 shows a configuration of the third embodiment of the presentinvention in which mirrors 11 and 12 are on the same horizontal line 73as a center rear view mirror 72. In this configuration, mirrors 11 and12 are positioned relatively higher on the roof-supporting column 15than the previously described embodiments. This allows a driver's eyesto scan along a single horizontal line when checking the rear viewprovided by the mirrors.

FIG. 8 shows a fourth embodiment of a left side rear view mirrorarrangement 80 of the present invention. Mirrors 81-83 are each mountedinternally in the vehicle on a roof-supporting column 15. Mirror 81provides a rear side view corresponding to mirror 11 of the previouslydescribed embodiments, while mirror 82 provides a rear blind spot view.Mirror 83 provides a rear side view of the vehicle so that a blind spotnormally associated with a rear roof-supporting column of the vehicle isviewed. Mirrors 81-83 are shown disposed with respect to each other sothe reflected images of the mirrors appear to have a small gap betweenthe respective reflected images. Mirrors 81-83 can also be disposed withrespect to each other so that the respective reflected images appear tothe driver to be separated by substantially no gap. Each mirror isseparately adjustable around horizontal and vertical adjustment axes foreliminating the various blind spots on the driver's side of the vehicle.A second similar mirror arrangement can be mounted on the right side ofthe vehicle for eliminating blind spots on the passenger side of thevehicle. Mirrors 81-83 are adjustably mounted within mirror housings 84which is integrally formed with roof-supporting column 15.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a fifth embodiment of a left side rear view mirrorarrangement 90 of the present invention. Mirror arrangement 90 ismounted to roof-supporting column 15 with a telescoping arm 91 foroptimally positioning mirror 11 with respect to mirror 12 along thelongitudinal axis of telescoping arm 91 for eliminating the blind spot.FIG. 9A shows telescoping arm 91 in a non-extended position, while FIG.9B shows telescoping arm 91 in an extended position. Like theembodiments described above, both mirrors 11 and 12 are independentlyadjustable around horizontal and vertical adjustment axes associatedwith each mirror.

FIGS.10A and 10B show a sixth embodiment of a left side rear view mirrorarrangement 100 of the present invention. Mirror arrangement 100 ismounted to the body 102 of a vehicle, such as a door or the hood, andincludes a telescoping arm 101 for optimally positioning mirror 11 alongthe longitudinal axis of telescoping arm 101 with respect to mirror 12.FIGS. 10A and 10B show telescoping arm 101 in non-extended and extendedpositions, respectively. Both mirrors 11 and 12 are independentlyadjustable.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a seventh embodiment of a left side rear viewmirror arrangement 110 of the present invention. The seventh embodimentprovides features of the third and the sixth embodiments of theinvention by having both the first and second mirrors 11 and 12adjustable up and down along roof-supporting column 15. FIG. 1A showsmirrors 11 and 12 positioned at the lowest position along column 15,while FIG. 11B shows the mirrors positioned at the highest position. Amotor (FIG. 12) is remotely controlled to move mirrors 11 and 12. FIGS.11A and 11B show slot 111 which allows mirror housing 14 to move up anddown along column 15. This embodiment allows a driver to adjust theheight of the first and second mirrors with respect to center rear viewmirror 72 so that the mirrors can be scanned along a single horizontalline 73, shown in FIG. 11B. A similar arrangement 110 can be located onthe right side of a vehicle. While both mirrors 11 and 12 are shownbeing fixed with respect to each other, they can be separatelyadjustable, with mirror 11 being adjustable as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.Additionally, the mirrors of the seventh embodiment can be configuredlike the mirrors of the fourth embodiment with internal mirrors 81-83mounted to the column 15 and adjustable up and down along column 15.

FIG. 12 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system 120 for usewith the fifth, sixth or seventh embodiments of the present inventionfor automatically positioning the mirrors separately or in unison byremote control. Control system 120 is similar to control system 50,shown in FIG. 4, but includes motor driver 121 and electric motor 122.When control system 120 is used with the fifth or the sixth embodimentsof the invention, electric motor 122 adjusts telescoping arm 91 or 101,respectively, which is associated with mirror 11. When control system120 is used with the seventh embodiment of the invention, electric motor122 adjust the height of the mirrors along roof-supporting column 15.

FIG. 12 also shows that control system 120 can include motor driver 123and electric motor 124. Motor 124 adjusts a telescoping arm 125associated with mirror 18 on the right side of the vehicle when controlsystem 120 is used with the fifth or sixth embodiments of the invention.Motor 124 adjusts the height of the mirrors along roof-supporting column15 for the seventh embodiment of the invention. In addition to storingpreset mirror positions for the mirrors, memory 52 also storesinformation relating to preset positions of telescopic arms 91, 101 and125 for positioning mirrors 11 and 18, or a preset position of themirrors along column 15 depending upon the embodiment of the inventioncontroller 120 is used with. Controller 120 can be configured toautomatically position the mirrors to a coarse position when the vehicleis started, then retrieve a default mirror setting from memory 52 forpositioning the mirrors in a desired setting, including a fine positionof the mirrors. When the vehicle ignition is turned off, controller 120can be configured to retract the telescoping arms or to move the mirrorsof the seventh embodiment to one of the extreme positions along column15.

Each of the different embodiments of the present invention can include asecond similar arrangement of mirrors on the right-side of the vehicle,as shown in FIG. 2A, and/or a control system for adjusting the mirrorsby remote control. Additionally, each of the respective embodiments canbe used on vehicles having a frame around a door window withoutsignificant changes. The various controllers of the present inventioncan each be adapted to adjust the mirrors of any of the variousembodiments of mirror arrangements of the present invention.

The scope of the invention should only be limited by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mirror assembly for a vehicle comprising: afirst mirror attached externally to the vehicle for providing a siderear view along a side of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle; and asecond mirror attached internally to the vehicle to a roof-supportingcolumn of the vehicle for providing a blind spot view to the driver, theroof-supporting column supporting a roof of the vehicle, the first andsecond mirrors being separately adjustable.
 2. The mirror assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein the first and second mirrors are disposedwith respect to each other so that a reflected image of the first mirrorand a reflected image of the second mirror appear to the driver to havesubstantially no gap between the respective reflected images of thefirst and second mirrors.
 3. The mirror assembly according to claim 1,where the first and second mirrors are adjustable along theroof-supporting column.
 4. The mirror assembly according to claim 1,further comprising a control system coupled to the first and secondmirrors for adjusting the first and second mirrors by remote control. 5.The mirror assembly according to claim 4, wherein the control systemincludes a memory for storing a plurality of preset positions of thefirst and second mirrors.
 6. The mirror assembly according to claim 4,wherein the control system adjusts the first and second mirrors inunison.
 7. The mirror assembly according to claim 4, wherein the firstmirror is mounted to the vehicle on a telescoping arm, and the controlsystem further controls a position of a telescoping arm.
 8. The mirrorassembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first andsecond mirrors includes a plurality of partially reflecting mirrors. 9.The mirror assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first mirror is aconvex mirror.
 10. The mirror assembly according to claim 9, wherein thesecond mirror is a convex mirror.
 11. The mirror assembly according toclaim 1, further comprising: a third mirror attached externally to thevehicle for providing a side rear view along another side of the vehicleto the driver of the vehicle; and a fourth mirror attached internally tothe vehicle to another roof-supporting column of the vehicle forproviding a blind spot view to the driver, the another roof-supportingcolumn supporting the roof of the vehicle, the third and fourth mirrorsbeing separately adjustable.
 12. The mirror assembly according to claim11, wherein the third and fourth mirrors are disposed with respect toeach other so that a reflected image of the third mirror and a reflectedimage of the fourth mirror appear to the driver to have substantially nogap between the respective reflected images of the third and fourthmirrors.
 13. The mirror assembly according to claim 11, furthercomprising a control system coupled to the first, second, third andfourth mirrors for adjusting the first, second, third and fourth mirrorsby remote control.
 14. The mirror assembly according to claim 13,wherein the control system includes a memory for storing a plurality ofpreset positions of the first, second, third and fourth mirrors.
 15. Themirror assembly according to claim 13, wherein the control systemadjusts the third and fourth mirrors in unison.
 16. The mirror assemblyaccording to claim 13, wherein the first mirror is mounted to thevehicle on a first telescoping arm and third mirror is mounted to thevehicle on a second telescoping arm, and the control system controls aposition of each of the first and second telescoping arms.
 17. Themirror assembly according to claim 12, where the first and secondmirrors are adjustable along the roof-supporting column, the third andfourth mirrors are adjustable along the another roof-supporting column.